The Ties That Bind
by strictlyficly
Summary: Maybe returning home wasn't such a bad idea after all.
1. Chapter 1

He stares down at the seemingly normal town below him from the bluffs bordering the edge of his hometown in melancholy.

It's still here.

He's hasn't stepped foot into the southside of the states in over a century but for some odd reason he felt the urge to do so. Now as he stands on the edge of the cliff he thinks that maybe he wanted to see if it burned to the ground leaving nothing but ashes in its place. That maybe he wanted to see if something had felt pain or faced complete destruction at his absence. But the deceivingly quiet town below him still stands. Yet the call still resounds deep inside despite the voice screaming at him to leave while he can before he's sucked back into it.

He's turning on his heel to leave, yielding to common sense and back into the arms of self preservation before he can ruin the years of progress he's made since he left in the dead of the night without as much as a goodbye.

* * *

He finds himself in Richmond walking along the rows of shops, stops for a moment to duck inside of an old bookshop. A first edition copy of The Great Gatsby in the window display having caught his eye, and wonders what else they might have their hands on. He's turning down one of the aisles when he runs right into a tiny frame, an apology on his lips as he steadys them before they fall but it dies as soon as his eyes take in the sight of them.

He watches frame by frame as recognition settles on their features until they're left just as stunned as he is. Both only staring at each other in silence as they try to regain their bearings.

He can only blink when their arms are around him, head buried in his neck.

* * *

He's not sure how it happened but now he's walking into her home with bags of groceries in his hands while she smiles at him looking the same as she did the day he left. Save that her skin has a nice, healthy glow, her green eyes are brighter than he's ever seen them, her long dark curls traded in for a flattering bob and she's wearing clothes that don't hide her body as if it were something that she were ashamed of.

He wants to ask her why he's here, what he ever did to earn such a warm greeting from her. Unless he was mistaken he was the reason behind everything that went wrong in her life. But she never gives him the chance to. Only telling him to place the bags on the island before she waltzes over to a cabinet, looking over her shoulder as she asks if he wants a drink.

He doesn't deny her offer, one because he think it would be rude to not accept. Though mostly because he needs one if he's ever going to gather the nerve to say anything to her at all.

"I'm sorry,"

He looks at her in surprise, completely taken back by her apology considering if anyone owes the other an apology he thinks it'd be him.

"I've just been going on and on about nothing and haven't really given you the chance to say anything. It's just so quiet around here lately."

That effectively gets his full undivided attention. They're not in Mystic Falls, though not that far away from their old stomping grounds either. But just the word quiet was a foreign concept when he was anywhere near the town that he still feels a draw to even after everything that happened there.

"I guess I should savor it while I can," she continues "the girls will be down here in a week or so."

"The girls?" He parrots in confusion.

"My granddaughters. It's the last summer that they'll be excited to spend time with me. They'll be starting middle school later on in the year and I won't be cool enough for them anymore." she says with a smile and a lift of her shoulders as if she were speaking of something as mundane as the weather. The girl before him doesn't look a day over eighteen and yet she's speaking of her grandchildren. He can only blink and out of curiosity his eyes drop down to her hand, letting out a breath he didn't even know he was holding when he doesn't see a ring.

Noticing where his gaze has shifted to she smiles "No ring, marriage just doesn't seem to be realistic to me anymore. In case you haven't noticed I quite literally haven't aged a day."

"I did, actually." He says, his eyes trained on her features watching as a small blush colors her cheeks under his stare.

"Bonnie, what happened?"

She stares at hm for a moment before reaching out and taking one of his large hands in between two of her own, waiting until he looks back up to her, "You left." And she says it as if that should have explained everything.

* * *

 **A/N: Last new story I'm starting until I finish at least one of the others, promise. Also this story has absolutely no plot, just a free write. Setting wise it picks up after season 5. Stefan never came back post Prison World. Not sure if Elena will be in this but will be alluded to, in this fic she never erased her memories. Any other questions as for where cannon is concerned, don't hesitate to ask.**


	2. Chapter 2

His lips part to explain why he did what he did or maybe to ask her to elaborate on her answer. He's not sure but before he can decide she shakes her head, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, declaring that the past is too depressing to talk about.

He can't bring himself to disagree and with the exception of the brief flare of curiosity that ripples through him, he doesn't want to divulge in the past. Even if he did it is her home after all and who is he to question or challenge her authority? Answers would only give headway to demolish years of learning to put himself first and simply mind his own business. By the way she's determined to avoid the topic as well, he thinks it'd do the same to her own progress. They both left Mystic Falls for a reason and considering who they are and the things they've done and sacrificed he thinks that they've both come to the decision that whatever their own reasons for leaving were justified, and even if it wasn't, out of everyone they think that they should be able to do something for themselves.

The only thing that he questions is the grandchildren she spoke of to which her whole face lights up and she turns to get down from her seat, waltzing out of the kitchen into another room of her home. She returns a moment later with a stack of albums in her arms that she places on the island, mindful to not put too close to their glasses but close enough so they won't―herself really―have to strain their eyes to see. She flips to the last page of one, containing a group of people positioned in three rows.

"Those are my daughters," She says as her finger slides along the picture, motioning to five women standing to her left with bright smiles on their faces. Then to a man on the end of the top row, pointing him out as her son making Stefan blink. This being the first male edition to the Bennett line that he's ever heard of. "These are all my grandchildren," she informs as her finger glides along the row of people below herself and her apparent children "And those are my great grandchildren." She grins at the way his eyes have widened as he stares at the two girls―each of which have their arms wrapped around a toddler as if to keep them from fleeing—and two boys kneeled at the bottom on either side of them "I try to have a picture taken with everyone at least once a year but this one was taken a few years back. My girls all decided to travel so it makes it hard to get everyone together but they all come back for the holidays and my birthday. The next one planned is in December, my first born grandchild is pregnant with two boys, but she doesn't know that yet." She informs him with a smile.

"If she doesn't then how do you?"

"The Spirits don't believe in discretion when it comes to Bennett witches. Grams let my own slip during one of our talks."

At the mention of Sheila he flinches but then looks right back up to her. Wondering how she maintained contact since the other side went down but considering the women in question. He can't say that he's all that surprised. Knowing all too well how she always found a way to come through for her family.

"When the other side was falling apart my ancestors got together and created a safe haven of sorts for witches who have passed on before it went down. During one particular hard night, she reached out to me and got through. The Other Side no longer stands but Spirit Magick still had to exist so they used that and created another realm where they now reside. My powers are at their full height so I can speak to her along with whomever else at will."

"So you're not the anchor?" He questions to make sure remembering the way she screamed out. Tears streaming down her face as she collapsed to the floor during one particular death that he witnessed along with Lexi. His best friend had never met Bonnie beforehand but said that the two started talking once the former witch spotted her during one of her check ins on him. It certainly explained why she and Bonnie had a sense of familiarity with the other before the blonde decided to find peace instead of returning to the land of the living. There were times that he wished that he had followed Lexi's lead and done the same.

Bonnie shakes her head "Damon really came through for me, my resurrection just came with an unintended but not unwelcomed side effect. His words, not mine." She adds.

At the sight of the small smile on her lips as she speaks of his brother he frowns. He had heard of Damon and Bonnie not being on the worst of terms with the other but seeing that they might have actually came to do more than just tolerate the other is a bit jarring. It makes him wonder if Damon had changed in his absence but he quickly decides that he doesn't want to know the specifics and she seems to pick up on it as she swiftly changes the subject.

"Where are you staying?"

"I'm probably going to check into a hotel on the strip."

"No,"

"No?" He raises an eyebrow.

"You're staying here."

He wants to turn her down but she's already passing the threshold leading out of the kitchen and into the living room, and when she turns to glance over her shoulder meeting his gaze head on he sighs and hops down from the barstool. Resisting the urge to smile once he sees her eyes light up before turning and making her way towards the staircase.

The room she sets him up in is directly down the hall from her own. It has a elegant chandelier dangling proudly from the wooden vaulted ceiling, a king sized bed covered with an expensive looking duvet, a double door leading to a balcony and an elaborate ensuite without much of a warning. He'd think she'd set it up just for him as it reminds him of his old room save the clutter and the memories attached.

"So is that a yes?" Bonnie questions when she sees the look on his face as he takes in the room.

He turns back to see her lingering in the doorway waiting patiently for an answer. Making it clear that she's actually giving him a choice in the matter. Opting to nod his confirmation before he can give himself a chance to think of a reason to decline and she beams.

He doesn't think he'll be able to deny her anything if it'll earn that reaction from her.

"I let Care keep blood bags in the deep freeze. Just don't use the blue mug in the top right cabinet if you decide to heat it up." She cautions and he would have laughed if she didn't look so serious about it. But then the name clicks.

"Care?" He echoes, he hasn't seen or heard from the blonde vampire since he left. The thought of her showing up unannounced unnerves him and makes him question his intelligence, but Bonnie puts a stop to his rising weariness.

"She's on her honeymoon so you're safe until the next week or so. Then you're on your own." She says leaving him to get comfortable as she tells him that she's going to get started on dinner.

He only smiles in response, he doesn't plan on staying past tomorrow.

The smile drops when the word honeymoon sinks in.

* * *

He's walking along the halls to help himself to a blood bag when he spots a picture that makes him stop dead in his tracks. It's of Bonnie donned in a beautiful white gown and a man with dark hair and brown eyes in a suit. Both of which staring back at him with bright smiles on their faces. He'd seen pictures like this before but seeing one with someone that he actually knew threw him off. Especially considering her earlier words when he didn't see a ring.

"Seth Gecko," her voice breaks through his thoughts "My first―and only―husband. It was more for my parents' benefit than anything to be perfectly honest." He frowns at that, the picture serving to make him believe otherwise. He had never seen her smile like that and she was never good at pretending. "We thought that we were getting away from everything but we just found out that there was more. His brother, Richie, was turned. They had some fight shortly after his transition. Didn't talk for years. But a few months into our relationship, Richie tracked him down. I didn't know that he was the brother that Seth was talking about all the time. Just assumed that he was some random vampire looking for a meal and put him down. Seth came and put a stop to it and that's how he found out that he was with a witch. And I found out that there was a whole other branch of vampires called culebras. Seth and I were together until his death. It'll be twenty years in September."

"But you're not married now." It was meant as a question, though to his own ears it comes out as a pleading for confirmation more than anything else. If she notices she doesn't say anything.

Bonnie shakes her head as a smile graces her face "Just an annoying older brother that likes to pop in to spoil his nieces and nephews despite me telling him to stop." she answers "Besides it's like I said, marriage just doesn't seem realistic anymore. Meeting someone, falling in love, getting married and starting a family with them only for them to die and I'm still here, forever frozen in time. Burying not only them but our children, and our grandchildren and great grandchildren. And...I've had enough funerals to last a lifetime before I started to have several of lifetimes of my own."

Stefan nods in understanding, choosing to not voice that he envies that she even gets to have that. He wouldn't say that he'd want to go through the pain of loss for the rest of his immortal life but having a family of his own doesn't sound too bad.

"What about you?"

"No marriage." he answers looking down to his feet "No kids," He adds after a moment in an effort to lighten the mood.

"It's never too late." Bonnie replies with a smile deciding to play along "Dinner is almost ready, would you like to join me?"

Dinner is some dish she calls gumbo. In all his years he's never had it. The smell is both intriguing and repulsive, and the appearance doesn't exactly make him want to try it. But as soon as the taste hits his tongue he decides that that's the only thing that matters. He's refiling his bowl to the brim when he looks back up to see Bonnie with her spoon halfway to her mouth, lips parted slightly as she stares back at him.

"Oh, I-"

"Help yourself." Bonnie smiles before continuing to eat her own serving.

He tells her about his travels and she fills him in on some of her own, mostly taken with her family before her children all moved out and started families of their own. Leaving her and Seth to the first quiet that they had in decades. Commenting that they often thought they had lost their hearing when they woke up on their own accord instead of being woken up by loud voices from throughout the house. She speaks of the latest of her line, informing him that two of her great grandchildren will be in sometime next week.

He doesn't tell her that he doesn't plan on staying that long.

* * *

Over the next four days he learns that Bonnie has a schedule. She wakes up at six thirty every morning―no matter what time she went to sleep the night before, if at all―going out onto the wrap around balcony that connects to his own to meditate. Afterwards going down stairs to prep some kind of concoction that makes him curse his enhanced senses before going out for her morning jog. Topping it all off to come back and shower then to make herself breakfast, one of which seemingly depends on her mood or if he comes down in time to join her or not. Her day concluding with either her gardening or experimenting with her abilities that have unsurprisingly grown as he can actually taste the magick in the air whenever she uses them.

* * *

He finds it strange how comfortable he is already and that Bonnie doesn't seem to mind in the slightest. Evidenced by how her reaction to seeing him walk around shirtless—when he thinks that she's left—on his way to get a blood bag that she only stops and removes an earbud from her ear, asking if he's said something before continuing on her way when he shakes his head in the negative. Watching as she strolls past him, putting it back in it's former place before she takes off for her morning run.

When she returns, she finds a spread on her island while he's over the stove top before turning around and sliding an omelette onto a waiting plate. Telling her that she can watch how to get it right on the first try the next morning if she so chooses.

* * *

He's pushing a week when he stops telling himself that today is his last day before he takes off. Going as far as accompanying her when she goes to run errands, even letting her practice spells on him and helping her weed her garden. Switches her morning runs to evening ones, and learns that she's faster than him unless he cheats by using his speed. Something that she seems determined to not let him live down.

* * *

"Bon?" He calls out once he hits the bottom step of the staircase. He'd just finished with his shower when he heard a loud thump quickly followed by a muttered curse coming from the first floor. Only to still when he's greeted to the sight of a girl with light brown skin, long dark curly hair and big brown eyes leaving him to feel as if the floor has slipped from beneath his feet and he actually has to reach out to the banister to steady himself.

"You must be Stefan," the girl states in a calm even tone as if not to startle him "Uncle Damon had the same reaction when he first saw me...at least after I grew up. After he recovered he just started apologizing over and over and _over_ again to me. I didn't understand why until he beamed his guilt into my head over dinner."

Stefan blinks, his lips parting in surprise "Uncle Damon?" He parrots almost inaudibly.

The girl smiles, clearly enjoying his confused state "Yeah, after Grams I guess he started to take his protector role seriously. Which mainly includes keeping boys away from us, which I don't really mind." she states causally with a lift of her shoulders "But he is part of the reason that we're not in or ever allowed to go to Mystic Falls. Or at least that's what we let him believe. As I'm sure you know he likes to think that every good idea is his."

Stefan cracks a smile at that but it falters when the explanation floats back to his mind. The fact that not only has Damon actually started to actively look after the Bennett line but that Bonnie has allowed him to do so. Inserting himself enough that not only do the latest of Emily's descendants know him but actually call him Uncle.

"So are you going to help me with my bags" her eyes go to the suitcases that are toppled over before going back to his own "or-"

"Maya," A voice scolds, causing both the girl in question and his own attention to go to the doorway to see a girl with brown skin, round dark brown eyes and long dark wavy hair. A suitcase in her hand and a duffle bag slung over her shoulder staring back at Maya with a frown on her face.

"I'm sorry," the new arrival apologizes turning to Stefan "you'll have to excuse my sister."

"He's Grams' boyfriend. I think that it's fine that I ask him to help me with my bags."

The girl's eyes flit to Stefan, her gaze never going below his neck but still makes him shift on his feet as his hand tightens around the knot of the towel hanging on his hips "I really doubt that-"

"He's walking around in her house in nothing but a towel calling her Bon, Iris."

"Maya, it is possible for men and women to just be friends…" She trails off when her sister slights her with a look that immediately shuts her defense down.

"I know you like to think of Grams as a sweet little angel but her best friend is Auntie Caroline." Maya states with a grin not being able to help herself.

Stefan smiles at the rebuttal thinking of the blonde and Bonnie's dynamic, happy to know that at least something hasn't changed in his absence. But the way they address Bonnie leaves him breathless. Taunted by not one but three Bennett women he feels guilt at the mere thought of.

"Okay, no." Iris shakes her head "Hanna and Emily ring a bell?" She stares her sister down reminding her sister of her girlfriend and her own blonde pitbull.

Maya rolls her eyes "Em has no control over what Hanna says and does."

Iris throws her hands up in the air, the statement making her point and Maya sighs and turns back to Stefan. Who is now fully clothed in a black t shirt and black jeans paired with black boots. Lips folded as he his eyes dart back and forth between her sister and herself.

"I just didn't think that it was appropriate that I stand here…" he starts feeling the need to explain himself when he sees the questioning looks in their eyes as they stare back at him but trails off and runs a hand through his hair stopping when he realizes that it might not be helping his case "Plus I don't think that Bonnie would appreciate coming home to find me…" He once again trails off and clears his throat, and they nearly laugh.

"Practically naked in her kitchen with her granddaughters?" Maya grins "I think she'd be more upset about you getting water on her hardwood floor."

He watches as Iris smiles and waves her hand to dry the water up when he immediately looks down before turning to get paper towels "We want us being here to be a surprise, can you help us?"

Stefan blinks then turns to Maya who is looking at him expectantly "As long as it doesn't involve using your magick. Pretty universal rule, no matter how comfortable you feel with your powers."

"If I didn't believe you were a friend to witches before," Maya mutters "I'm Maya by the way. This is my sister, Iris." She states motioning towards the seemingly nicer of the two so far who beams at him furthering his assessment.

"Wait," he frowns recalling the names, Bonnie mentioned that they were twins but there was no mistaking one for the other "Maya and Iris…"

They exchange a look, realization seeming to dawn on them at his confusion when they meet each other's gaze.

"Fraternal," Maya takes it upon herself to explain "So there's never any debate on who the cuter twin is." She adds with a smirk directed to Iris who rolls her eyes.

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me, you should know that by now." Iris retorts, making Maya's smirk drop and her eyes narrow when Iris strolls past her going towards the stairs striking up a conversation with Stefan as she goes.

* * *

He soon learns that twins aren't exactly a rare occurrence in the Bennett line when Bonnie comes back a few hours later with an identical set. One of which flees back to the direction of which they came as soon as they spot him in the kitchen in the midst of chopping vegetables. Trying in vain to drag her double along with her before giving up and calling after Bonnie as they go. The sight of a strange man with a knife in his hand clearly not sitting well with them. While the other stands with her head held high meeting his gaze head on.

When he feels a sharp jolt to the back of his head he realizes that she's attempting to use her powers on him and he fights back the smile tugging at his lips. Swiftly placing the knife down onto the cutting board before going through the motions of groaning as his hands go to either side of his head. Only stopping when he hears the sounds of footsteps coming to a stop and Bonnie's stifled laugh tickle his ears before her voice takes on a scolding tone as she calls what he assumes to be their name.

"Olivia, what did I tell you about using your magick?"

Her question effectively putting a stop to the attack.

"But Grams," The young girl starts but is quickly cut off by Bonnie.

"Do you remember Damon telling you about his little brother?"

The girl stares up at Bonnie then turns back to Stefan, a guilty look on her face having clearly put it together. He watches intently as she takes a tentative step towards him.

"Uncle Damon said that you ran away and got lost. Did Grams find you?"

"Something like that." Stefan says after a moment, the way that Bonnie is being addressed throwing him off more than the question itself. He doesn't think he'll ever get used to it.

"Are you going to let him know that you're back?"

"Olivia," Bonnie calls her again, giving her granddaughter a look when she turns back to her.

"He usually visits during the summer, so if you're not ready," She says in a hushed tone giving him a look before turning to go back to Bonnie who gives him an apologetic smile before leaning down. Ready to scold her granddaughter for actions, but stops when she hears,

"It looks like Grams is fresh out, do you want us to go get some from the market before it closes?"

Only able to watch as the two girls ditch her in favor of running to the oldest of her great grandchildren who smile down at the two clinging to their legs. Matching grins on their faces when they look up to see Bonnie blinking several times before one of her own graces her face when they close the space between them pulling her into a hug. Afterwards going back to Stefan to reclaim their spots where they previously were before Stefan gave him the heads up of Bonnie's arrival.

"We're making your favorite." Iris informs Bonnie, while Maya tells the twins to help her set the table. Directing Bonnie to sit when she starts to walk towards the cabinet knowing that she's about to start to help.

"What did you do?" Bonnie frowns looking back and forth between Maya and Iris. Her frown deepening, one hand going to her hip as the other rests on the counter when they exchange a brief look before turning back to her.

"Why can't we just want to do something nice for you?" Maya questions sounding offended.

"I've known you for your whole lives. You stopped wanting to spend your summers with me when you started middle school and stopped doing nice things out of the goodness of your hearts for me when you turned thirteen."

"Bartholomew" Maya starts ignoring the glare Iris sends her way at the use of her boyfriend's name "is spending time with his Dad, helping him adjust to everything. Em is off giving back to the community or something. Mom and Dad didn't want us to sit around the house and mope, bring the energy down. We heard that the twins visit this year will be shorter than usual so we thought that we'd be a nice replacement for when they're gone."

"She finally noticed Barry," Bonnie says keeping her eyes on Maya who nods with a wide grin on her face.

"Grams!" Iris shrieks.

"It's only been nine years." Bonnie comments.

"Nine long years." Maya mutters.

"Can we not do this now? We should be getting to know Grams' boyfriend."

Bonnie balks at Iris, then turns to Stefan to apologize, who to her surprise only smiles before returning his attention to his previous task.


	3. Chapter 3

For some reason beyond him at the moment he finds it important that they like him, so he's on his best behavior. Only talks when he's spoken to. Smiles whenever he notices one of them looking at him. Does as they ask, answers whatever question thrown his way and even takes it upon himself to get them whatever they're about to get themselves before they can even rise from their seats.

"I like him." He hears one of twins say in a low voice when he offers to make them the sundae that she was making her case to Bonnie that she earned for eating all of her food. Who for her part sends him an exasperated look that he pretends to not notice, but still does not know which one quite yet. Their appearance is mirrored to a t. From their light brown skin, freckles peppered underneath their olive green eyes and across the bridge of their noses and mass of sandy brown untamed curls. Even their voices don't set one apart from the other.

"Weren't you just frying his brain a minute ago?"

Olivia, he deduces remembering the name Bonnie called to be the first voice he picked up.

Olivia glares at her sister "I didn't know him then."

"Olivia, you still don't even know him."

"Neither do you, Michaela. Grams likes him enough for him to be here so give him a chance before you try to run him off."

Bonnie's eyebrows raise and she glances at the two eldest of her grandchildren to see them looking on with equal interest. Maya leaning slightly towards Iris as she says, "Should we tell them?" To which Iris shakes her head in the negative as she goes back to eating and Bonnie internally shakes her head but decides to let it play out. Knowing it'll be better to let the two settle it out on their own. Glancing to Stefan every once in a while to catch his reaction and assuage just how much attention he's giving it.

"He's a vampire." Michaela nearly snarls.

"So is Dad, Auntie Caroline, Uncle Richie, Uncle Tyler, Kol and Aunt Bex." Olivia lists every vampire in their lives "but you like them."

He halts his movements at that last one. There was only one woman that he ever knew by that name. Damon was one thing that he could see going by what he's heard but who he thinks being spoken of was something entirely different. And he can't help but notice that there was one name noticeably absent on that list.

"We've known them our whole lives." Michaela replies looking at her sister as if she's lost her mind at her defense for the youngest Salvatore. Clearly not appreciating the comparison. "And Uncle Tyler is only half." She defends the hybrid.

"And Uncle Damon has known Stefan for his entire life, and he's never said anything to make us not like him." Olivia points out, then waits for a retort that never comes. Only an eye roll when she crosses her arms over her chest a smug look on her face that quickly turns into a bright smile as she turns to stare up at Stefan when he places a bowl in front of her. Slighting her double with a look when the vampire does the same for her sister but does not receive the same reaction.

"Thank you, Stefan." Michaela says with reluctance that she almost manages to hide yet doesn't hesitate to eat what he's served her.

"So Stefan," Iris starts in an attempt to brighten the disheartened mood her cousins' bickering has clearly left him in "Where have you been living?"

"An island not to far from Italy."

"You own an island?" Maya looks at him with a expression between interest and bafflement.

"I need to drop off the grid every couple of years."

"It's just you there?" She questions, skepticism clear in both her voice and her eyes as she stares at him.

"I have everything I need delivered from a nearby town."

"So what brought you back here?"

"Maya," Iris hisses, giving Stefan an apologetic look afterwards at her sister's interrogation.

He gives Iris a quick smile but turns back to Maya who seems to have anticipated it all "Every once in a while I feel the need to go home. I didn't get very far this time." Immediately regretting his answer when they all turn to Bonnie who is taking a long sip from her glass of wine.

"You're not missing anything." He says before Bonnie can say anything.

"You all say that but it obviously did something right." Maya responds.

* * *

"I never understood why you drank so much." Bonnie says when she sees him claim the outdoor chaise lounge chair right beside her own.

The girls have retreated to their rooms for the night and she had thought he had done the same. Though finds herself pleasantly surprised that it was not the case. After the dinner they had just had she wouldn't have blamed him if he had gone and locked himself in his room and been gone by the next morning. She loves her grandchildren but would be the first to admit their lack of tact is not for everyone.

Stefan turns his head to look at her then pointedly shifts his gaze to the wine glass in her hand that she's refilling as she speaks.

"I said I never understood," she says feeling his eyes on her "not that I don't understand." Looking up to meet his stare with a hint of a smile on her lips.

Stefan nods with an amused smile of his own. Though he can't help but wonder what exactly she has to drink about since his is to either curb his cravings or drown out the never ending thoughts that nearly suffocate him. Constantly reminding him of all the harm he caused, the lives he took and ruined since his transition. If he's honest he thinks it's to keep himself from taking what he's deemed as the easy way out. He's thought about it countless times but always decided against it. What others saw as him simply having a penchant for torturing himself he saw as a well deserved punishment for his sins.

"I'm sorry," She says after a long beat of silence.

"If anyone should be apologizing it's me." Stefan replies without hesitation despite not knowing where her apology has stemmed from.

Bonnie glances at him, an eyebrow raising when she sees him stretched out, staring straight ahead seemingly deep in thought "If you want to leave, I understand."

"Why would I want that?" He questions turning to face her with a frown on his face.

"You mean aside from my grandchild's attempt on your life?" She asks with a wry smile.

"I'm sure that I would have had a similar reaction if I came home to see a stranger with a knife in their hand. And being called your boyfriend is far from an insult." He quickly adds remembering the apologetic look she gave him after the fact.

Bonnie cracks a smile at that raising her glass to her lips.

"You never ask about them." She says after another silence has fallen over them.

Stefan sighs "It's not that I don't care." Yet he doesn't say anything else afterwards.

"You just don't want to hear if they're doing better without you." Bonnie states matter of factly, looking over to him seeing the surprise clear in his eyes "He got married," she pauses "had kids. I didn't want him to sit around and mope for the rest of his life but I didn't...I didn't want him to be able to just move on so fast either."

He quickly figures that she's speaking of Jeremy.

"Elena claimed that he was a mess without me but the first time I saw him after I got back, there was a ring on his finger. She was a bridesmaid." Bonnie adds through a humorless laugh.

Stefan blinks, it all being news to him. Only able to stare back at her in shock. Especially considering the tidbit about his ex actually being a part of the wedding.

"I didn't leave because of him." she goes on, happy to finally be able to speak freely on the subject to someone outside of the situation that could actually understand or at least relate, all things considered "After everything that happened there I just couldn't stay. She saw it as betrayal. Everyone leaves her. I told her that that was far from the case and when she didn't get it I asked her when was the last time that we were us." Bonnie turns to look at him "She didn't like that very much." a brief twitch of her lips "Caroline understood, visits. She calls me everyday, despite the fact that she doesn't live to far from here. Sometimes I come home and she's here. Matt comes down for the holidays with his family. But I haven't seen or heard from her in years."

Stefan takes a long drink bracing himself. The tidbit about Matt going right over his head, barely even registering.

"She left to look for you. She couldn't accept that you would just leave without an explanation. You had to be taken or Klaus had something over you. Damon told her about your pact but she didn't believe that you would just leave her without saying goodbye. She begged me to do a locator spell but I refused, and when no one else agreed to help her, she took it into her own hands."

"It's not that we didn't care, we just couldn't blame you for leaving. We didn't like the way you did it but we understood. Or at least I did. I wanted to run so many times but every time I had a bag packed someone did something stupid and after so many times I knew that if I did run, one of them would end up getting them all killed. But after I died and had to save myself I couldn't bring myself to care anymore. So I left and got a life of my own. Started a family. I didn't know that I could but after I started I didn't think I could stop. I didn't want to have history repeat itself so I stayed and stopped feeling guilty for being happy. Caroline basically appointed herself as the Godmother of my children...not that I expected or wanted otherwise. And Damon pretty much made me your substitute."

"Sorry," He says feeling guilt plague him at that.

"Don't be, he's actually not bad. He was better with the kids than Care and Richie were combined. Babysat when Seth and I needed a break and surprisingly never complained. The kids actually liked being around him enough to ask if they could stay with him. He went on family vacations with us and everything."

"Your husband was okay with that?" Stefan asks incredulously. Damon is his brother and he would not be remotely as such with his brother tagging along. Though he figures that that could be credited to his fear of history repeating.

"I love him but he's Damon." she says as if it explains it all and the look paired with it does just that "And like I said he was really good with the kids. So he was pretty much a glorified babysitter, there for when we wanted to go out." she says through a small laugh "But when our first grandchild came...Damon was barely allowed to even look at her. I didn't understand why Abby was so over the moon about my kids until my first grandchild came."

"Abby?" He repeats, confusion evident in his voice.

"Oh," she sits up, remembering the last time he was around she wasn't exactly on the best of terms with her mother "right. Um Lucy told her about the Prison World and everything and she apologized and asked for another chance. I didn't take it seriously but she actually stuck around. Basically kidnapped Sheila, I don't think I was even the first one to hold her."

Stefan smiles, unsurprised by the name choice of her first born.

"Anissa—my second grandchild—was the one that started it. She said that someone told her that I would like it if she called me Grams. And it just stuck."

"Do you think it was Sheila?"

"Yes,"

"And Maya…" He trails off still thrown off by her appearance.

"I suppose we should have figured that there couldn't have only been two doppelgängers in existence. It makes me wonder if I'm going to encounter one of my own somewhere down the line. It's so weird to think that you are a copy. That your entire existence is because of someone else."

"Yeah," Stefan breathes "But that's the case with everyone." He quickly adds when he sees the guilt cloud her face.

Bonnie lets out a small laugh, appreciating how he's not holding her slip up against her "That is also true."

* * *

He wakes up the next morning to the sound of someone knocking on his door and quickly goes to open it after slipping on the first shirt that he could get his hands on. Surprised by what he's greeted to on the other side.

One of the twins holding a tray containing two bowls of what appears to be cereal, two glasses of milk and two spoons set to the side.

He awkwardly shifts on his feet when they only stare at him.

"I made you breakfast." She says looking up at him tentatively as if she were waiting for his approval, or at the very least, a verbal response.

While he feels a bout of panic run through him desperately trying to figure out who he's speaking to.

"Oh," she murmurs "right. You can't tell us apart yet."

"Olivia," He says managing to hide the question in his voice, internally letting out a sigh of relief when she beams up at him. Briefly looking up to spot Bonnie strolling past his room, a smile of her own playing at her lips before continuing on her way. Looking back down to see Olivia making use of his distraction, walking into his room going out onto the balcony.

"I want to apologize for what I did to you yesterday." she says when he joins her at the table placed right in the middle of the two doors leading out to wrap around balcony. "I shouldn't have done that."

He opens his mouth but she quickly cuts him off.

"And before you say it's fine or that you understand why I did what I did, that's not going to make me feel better or excuse it. And as much as I want to apologize for my sister I can't. So I would appreciate it if we could start over." she pauses waiting until he nods "Hello, I'm Olivia Bennett."

"I'm Stefan Salvatore. It's nice to meet you Olivia." He follows her lead, laughing at her response.

"Yeah," she sighs "this is actually how this would have gone. I'm actually apart of this and I'm getting second hand embarrassment."

"I never really had the best start with Bennetts, so maybe it's me."

"Bennetts?" she repeats "How many have you met?"

"Qetsiyah, Emily, Sheila, Abby, your Grams. And now you, your sister and your cousins." Tensing when she averts her gaze from his, her hand briefly going to her chest before looking back up to him. Her words making his eyes widen, and wonder just how much she knows about him.

"She doesn't blame you, you know. Grandma Abby," she clarifies seeing the furrow of his brow "She's not going to thank you either but she's actually happy. She stopped ignoring Uncle Damon. Well actually she fired him and says that she's our rightful protector now because we come before anyone else for her. And she says that she stopped seeing it as a punishment because she gets to know us."

Stefan feels a tug at the corner of his lips and nods appreciating her attempt but still doesn't quell his need to go about things in the way that the girl before him has.

"She's also married now so that might be a factor to why she's happy. Have you ever been married?"

"No,"

"You should," She states her voice leaving no room for argument as she quickly looks away afterwards reaching for her glass pouring it into the bowl before grabbing her spoon. Looking up at him to see that he has a slight smile on his face as he does the same.

* * *

Bonnie turns towards the glass sliding doors when she hears it open and close and watches with interest as Stefan strolls towards her and takes a seat next to her on the porch swing. Returning her attention to her previous task just in time to see the twins racing to the pool before Maya takes the distraction the twins bring to push Iris in.

"You're smiling," Bonnie says with one of her own.

"I am,"

* * *

Over the next few days he learns that each girl has taken each side of Bonnie that he has seen in the time that he's known her and has taken it on as their very own. One that seems to perfectly balance out their twins' own personality.

Iris is warm, friendly and trusting yet not to the extent of naivety. While Maya has the bubbly demeanor accompanied with the underlying yet ever present cynical outlook. Their dynamic reminds him of Caroline and Bonnie and he finds himself smiling whenever the two interact.

"You never want to try anything." He hears Iris huff from somewhere throughout the home.

"You do remember the last time you dragged me along to try something new we found out you're seriously allergic to squid, right?" Maya retorts.

Despite her youth Michaela has the calm level head that he always got when Bonnie had to step in and clean up everyone's mess, the voice of reason and never hesitates to jump in and stop them before doing or saying something that she feels is wrong or going to far. While Olivia has taken on the fierce protective role, never hesitating to do what she feels needs to be said or done. Their dynamic reminds him of his and his brother's own, leaving an ache in his chest and hope that they never share the same fate.

"I swear, the way you're acting you'd think he glued your hair to your desk." His ears pick up the beginning of an argument.

"You really think bringing up something you actually did is going to make me want to give him a chance?"

He sighs feeling a twinge, torn between wanting to put a stop to it but knows better to even try.

"It's not like I did it to you." Olivia says in an exasperated tone.

"I never asked you to do it."

"This is why people always pick on you. You're too passive."

"And this is why you're always getting us into trouble. You're too reckless." Michaela fires back.

"Well if you wouldn't take the blame for everything I do we wouldn't get into trouble. What kind of sister would I be if I just stood by and let you get picked on?"

"One that won't be in detention so often she'll have her own seat before the school year ends."

He can't help but chuckle at that.

"Do I want to know?"

He looks up to see Bonnie staring at him curiously.

"Nothing I'm sure you haven't heard or said before."

Bonnie bites her lip "You see it too?"

Stefan frowns, not understanding why the similarities aren't sitting well with her.

"I see a little bit more of me in them every time I see them."

"That's not a bad thing." He says in a defensive tone as if she's offended him.

"I don't want history to repeat itself with them. I adore Emily and Maya's friends to pieces but there's something going on with them and I don't want Maya anywhere near whatever that is."

"Maya's girlfriend." Bonnie explains seeing the furrow of Stefan's brows, waiting for a reaction that never comes as he only walks until he's standing directly in front of her.

"There's one big difference in this situation. You did not have someone like you when we were getting ourselves into trouble. They do. And it's like you said they're all you, and you hate being told what you can't do."

Bonnie glares at him.

"You're only mad because you know I'm right."

Bonnie sighs and lets her head fall until it's against his chest, letting her eyes close when she feels his arms wrap around her.

"They're going to give me grey hair." She mumbles into his chest, smiling when he lets out a laugh at that before he tenses. And when she feels another presence paired with a voice she knows they both would recognize anywhere without needing to see a face for confirmation she can only hold her breath and wait for either a showdown for the books or tears that could flood her whole home.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'll be home soon," She assures into her phone before promptly ending the call as she enters Bonnie's home as if it's her own. The sounds of familiar voices going back and forth throughout the house bringing a smile to her face and wonders if Bonnie would be offended if she went straight for the girls instead. But when her ears pick up a voice she hasn't heard in years everything fades and she feels her body moving on its own accord until she finds herself at the threshold of the kitchen.

She can only stare from her place at the doorway in pure shock at what she's greeted to. Feeling every bit of an interloper as Stefan has his arms wrapped around Bonnie, a grin on his face at whatever she's mumbled against his chest where her head lies. Watches with an odd feeling of guilt as their moment crumbles frame by frame when they pick up on her presence. She's sure that if she had control of her body she would leave but his wide eyes, lips parting as he stares back at her and Bonnie's heartbeat increasing before she turns to look her way keeps her rooted in place. If it weren't for the ring on her finger put there by another man she'd think she'd just walked in on the ultimate betrayal that it's becoming all to clear to her that they believe it is.

Not wanting Bonnie to feel guilt about something that she shouldn't she dismisses the vampire with a shift of her gaze. Her blue eyes going to her childhood friend, a bright smile breaking across her face that Bonnie readily returns. Using her speed, she has Bonnie in her arms, squeezing the green eyed witch and leaning back until Bonnie's feet are off of the floor in the next breath.

"Oh, I missed you. If it wasn't weird I would've had you right there with me. Next time," Caroline assures.

Bonnie frowns and pulls away as much as she can from their embrace at the comment.

"The renewal of our vows." Caroline explains "I'm sure your next husband will get along with mine as much as the last. And with any hope they won't make us look like strangers in comparison."

"They weren't that bad." Bonnie replies half heartedly in the two men's defense.

"If Seth was a wolf they probably would have ran off and started their own pack."

Bonnie concedes to her point then gets that same wary look in her eyes as before and Caroline ignores it. The sound of Iris' and Maya's voices infiltrating her enhanced hearing along with the voice of another.

"Caroline," Stefan tries.

The blonde in question turns her back to the man calling after her, her arm looping around Bonnie's as she starts to guide her friend out of the room. Pretending to not have noticed when Bonnie turns to look over her shoulder. What she is sure to be an apologetic look towards the vampire that had left her high and dry not once but twice. If it weren't for Bonnie's mention of taking in an old friend she would probably be giving the woman currently going willingly with her the cold shoulder as well but she digresses. But when she sees Olivia hitting the bottom step with Michaela hot on her heels she drops Bonnie's arm without the slightest bit of hesitation. Falls to her knees, arms wide as the two rush towards her with with matching grins. Clearly just as excited to see her as she is to see them.

"Did you bring us presents?" Olivia asks the moment they pull apart.

Bonnie closes her eyes, her fingers going to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Olivia," Michaela hisses swatting at her sister's arm, turning back to Caroline with an apologetic look that the vampire only acknowledges with a quick stroke of her thumb at the young witch's cheek.

"Who do you think I am?" Caroline frowns at Olivia looking and sounding more insulted than anything else before her features soften "Of course I did." Rising to her feet and gliding over to the door holding it open for the two and watches as they squeal at the sight of two boxes waiting on the porch.

Feeling two sets of eyes on her she goes to pick up the two bags she placed on the table and starts to ascend the stairs.

"It's what God Grandmothers do." The blonde states feeling the disapproval coming off of her friend in waves.

"There's no such thing."

Caroline stops and slights Bonnie with a look "If I want to spoil my grandchildren then that is exactly what I am going to do. It's not like I've ever bought them cars or anything." She adds snidely.

"Because Richie beat you to it." Bonnie quickly points out.

"Semantics," Caroline huffs and turns to continue on her way. Stopping at the landing when she spots Stefan being pulled outside by Olivia in her peripheral as the young witch asks him if he's ever put a hoverboard together. Eyebrows raising at the exchange that follows suit.

"I can try," He answers and Caroline thinks she hears the fight leave him as he resigns to his assigned task.

"That's what you said about rollerblading and you weren't...entirely bad at it."

When she turns to Bonnie she sees the brunette leaning against the doorframe an amused look on the eldest Bennett witch's profile and when she sees Bonnie start to turn to her direction she quickly makes herself scarce.

She's barely tapped the door when it swings open and she's met with both Maya and Iris staring back at her with wide smiles and arms wrapped around her in the next breath.

"How was the honeymoon?" Maya probes as both she and her sister move to let Caroline into their bedroom.

"Above your age bracket," A familiar voice floats into the room making them all exchange looks before Caroline steps inside and closes the door. Sprinkling a funky smelling powder at the threshold before turn back to face them.

"It was perfect." she grins, swiftly moving the white glossy bags both out of sight and reach when two sets of eyes drop down to her hands "Gifts later, I have to hear how my future Grandson finally made it out of the 'like a brother' zone first." She makes a point of looking at Iris who blanches.

"Is there anyone you didn't tell?" Iris frowns at Maya as soon as she recovers from Caroline's request.

"Your uncles don't know yet. Bex and I made sure of it." Caroline offers in hopes of consolation before going to sit on one of the beds, making herself comfortable "If you think I haven't had my fair share of waiting for a breadcrumb you're out of luck. Twenty five years of waiting and prying at that one's" she hooks her thumb towards the closed door "shell. I have time."

* * *

"I can't believe she bought them hoverboards." Bonnie says earning a look from Stefan "Well I can but I told her to stop spoiling them."

"So you're surprised she didn't listen when you told her to stop buying things for the girls?" Stefan snarks turning back to watch the two as they race each other around the backyard.

"Whose side are you on?" Bonnie scowls at him.

* * *

She steps out of the room, a grin on her face as she pulls the door closed behind her when she scents a mouth watering smell practically demanding her presence. Solely out of spite she wants to leave knowing who the culprit is but when she hears Bonnie humming the song she always does when she's in the kitchen she figures that the witch is alone. While Stefan is supervising the latest editions to Bonnie's line as they frantically scribble across the pages of their grimoires. Only to be proven wrong when she gets to the doorway of the kitchen, once again greeted to the sight of Bonnie and Stefan. Though this time drastically different from the last.

She watches arms folded over her chest as they work around each other as if they've been doing so for years. While Olivia and Michaela are at the breakfast nook seeming to be comparing each other's writings. The former placing her quill behind her ear before going on to point at something in her sister's to which Michaela nods and goes to correct her mistake. Her eyes go back to the vampire and the witch just in time to see Stefan at Bonnie's side with a spoon. Waiting patiently until she turns her head just enough to accommodate his unvoiced request, lips parted as she continues her task of chopping vegetables.

"Seasoning salt,"

Is all the witch says before raising the cutting board holding her work and walking over to the stovetop and dumping the contents into the pan after testing to see if it was at her desired heat. While Stefan reaches for the burgundy container sprinkling the contents into the pot. Rolling his eyes despite the grin on his face when Bonnie tells him to add more without having even spared him a glance as she's in the midst of removing several containers from the cabinet on the other side of the room.

"I'm giving them two weeks."

Caroline jumps at the voice then turns to see Maya at her side and gives the young witch a look.

"Your guard is down and I don't want him to hear us." Maya's voice infiltrates her mind once again before tilting her head to the side. Walking until they're both on the patio. "Are you mad?"

"I'm not angry that he's still alive if that's what you're asking."

"Good," Maya nods seeming genuinely relieved "Liv would hate to have to go through with putting him down this time around."

"What do you mean?" Caroline's eyebrows knit together.

"She didn't have the best reaction to seeing him here the first time. If it weren't for Grams he probably wouldn't be here."

"Liv tried to kill him?" Caroline repeats through a frown "Why?"

"Apparently strange men in her Grandmother's home don't really sit well with her. Especially when said man has a knife in his hand."

Caroline laughs at that "Well I suppose that it's a good thing that she wouldn't take that kind of thing in stride."

"Oh, we didn't." Maya says seeing the worried look on Caroline's face as a thought seems to hit her "We kind of figured that he wasn't a threat when we heard him calling her Bon. Not even Uncle Richie is that bold so we didn't think he was anything we needed to worry about."

"Hm," Caroline replies, getting the feeling that that wasn't the full story. But before she question it her attention goes elsewhere once she hears tiny footsteps approaching and spots Michaela waving her hand from her place at the sliding door before turning back around.

"I guess dinner is ready."

Caroline grins.

"Any reason Uncle Tyler isn't here?"

"He went to make sure Kol hadn't ran the club into the ground."

Maya nods her understanding and wonders how their friendship came to be considering the history that she's managed to gather about her extended family. She can't fathom how any of them tolerated the other or have lasted as long as they have. One glance at the hopeful expression on Stefan's face that falls as soon as Caroline doesn't even look his way. Even as he tries to engage her directly, and it makes her wonder if she'll see the bet she's made with her sister go past the night.

"I'm fine, Stefan." Caroline replies, reaching for the bottle of wine and filling her glass nearly to the brim. Only stopping when she catches Michaela's eyes on her before they go to Stefan, narrowing significantly as she eyes the former ripper. "How have you been?" She forces out.

"I've been good."

Caroline catches the subtle inflection in his tone remembering it to be the one for when he's not being entirely honest. Pressing her lips together she looks over to the vampire ready to give an inch for the girl's sake to see him grabbing the knife Olivia is using her magick to attempt to cut into her steak and doing it himself. The youngest Salvatore ignoring Bonnie and Iris' warnings about falling for the act when he reaches to do the same for Michaela as she seems to be struggling with her own. Curious about Maya's lack of verbal opinion she glances to the young witch and grins when Maya only shrugs before using her magick to float her plate over to Stefan.

Caroline can't say that she's surprised when he complies. Closing her eyes in an effort to hide her amusement when he quickly grabs his wine glass the moment it starts to rise from its place on the table. Both Stefan and herself sparing Bonnie a quick glance to see her at the sink before he gives Maya a brief scolding look that doesn't quite manage to hide his own amusement before holding up her plate waiting for her to take it back. And Caroline finds herself torn between screaming her frustration and smiling at the antics Stefan has ensued from the Bennetts.

Especially when she hears Bonnie laughing at whatever Stefan whispers into her ear as the two wash the dishes once they're all done.

* * *

He finally manages to get her alone when the girls are out on the balcony along with Bonnie. Following the eldest Bennett's lead with ease going from the words of approval and encouragement from Bonnie and the air crackling with magick around them.

"Care," He sighs when she doesn't even glance in his direction.

"Care," Caroline repeats through a humorless laugh "That is what my friends call me. Not people that just up and leave for over a hundred years without so much as a goodbye."

Stefan nods his head knowing that her remark was well deserved. Stays rooted in his place at the door, unsure of her reaction to him daring to take another step closer would be if this was to him trying to speak.

"Why are you here Stefan?"

"Do you want me to leave?"

She looks at him as if he's grown a third head "I can't do that to them."

"I know,"

"Then why would you even ask me that?"

"I don't want me being here to taint your time with them. So if you don't want me around while you're here then I'll go."

"They're happy, as long as you don't put a stop to that. I can put up with you. After all, I put up with Damon." She adds as an afterthought.

A barely audible scoff falls from his lips at that. His actions lead to being compared to his brother considering the history between the two. It leaves him feeling as if someone's taken a knife to his heart. He looks down to find his hand against his chest as soon as he sees the furrow of her brows as her eyes have taken notice of his subconscious movement.

Caroline opens her mouth to apologize for her offhand comment. It had come out far worse than she had meant it and yet that is the very thing that puts a stop to voicing her regret. Finding that she had wanted to make him feel every bit of pain as she felt at what his abrupt disappearance had inflicted upon her.

"If you expect me to forgive you,"

"I don't," He quickly steps in taking advantage of her pause.

"show me that you deserve it." she finishes as if he had never spoken at all and rises from her seat, stepping around him to go back inside but stops at the door "Until then we have nothing to say to each other."

He lets out a long breath as soon as he's seated on the porch swing that she's abandoned. His ears picking up the sounds of her making her rounds around the house. Promising to visit as soon as she's settled back in. Readily agreeing to the girl's day that Olivia requests and he can picture her putting those eyes to full use.

He tries to tune out when he hears the sound of Bonnie's footsteps making her way to the door but the tone that her voice has taken demands his attention.

"Care,"

"No," Caroline says immediately "We're not doing that."

"Doing what?"

"My problem is with Stefan, and it will remain that way. You did nothing wrong. You are not going to feel guilty for not kicking him to the curb and you are not going to stop whatever this is because of my issues with him. Which again are with him and not your problem. No mediating, we left the Switzerland act in Mystic Falls, remember?"

"Yes," Bonnie mutters sounding every bit of a petulant child.

"Besides, it's clear that Livy has her little pink claws in him. He's not going anywhere anytime soon. And even if she didn't" Caroline pauses, making it inadvertently clear that she's decided against voicing her thoughts and is searching for something else to say "I didn't know how much I missed it until today."

"Missed what?" Bonnie questions, confusion evident in the witch's voice.

"We should have a date," Caroline ignores her question "I'm sure Damon will set aside whatever—whoever—he's doing these days to have the girls to himself. And if not you can send Stefan on a test run."

"Care-" Bonnie tries again only to be ignored.

"I have to get to work on planning a client's wedding." Caroline talks over Bonnie as she pulls her into a hug "Next week," She decides, the closing of the front door following soon after, never giving Bonnie the chance neither to object or confirm.

He would have questioned the lack of a goodbye before her abrupt departure but quickly remembered that the blonde never exactly said such unless she was done with someone. And when that crosses his mind he can't help the flutter of hope in his chest at the fact that he didn't exactly get one either.

"How much of that did you hear?"

He nearly jumps out of his skin at the voice having been caught off guard and watches as Bonnie averts her gaze a flash of guilt appearing in her eyes. From the way her shoulders have slumped he knows that she's about to apologize figuring that her accusation was wrong.

"She hasn't changed much,"

"Not even a little." Bonnie agrees "Any chance you have an idea of what she was talking about?"

"No,"

Bonnie nods and takes a seat directly next to him, faintly aware of how he moves to accommodate her.

"It's quiet," Stefan observes, remembering Bonnie commenting on how she should enjoy it while she could. It wasn't until this moment that he realized that there hadn't been one second of it since the girls got in. From conversations, screaming matches or laughter throughout the house, practicing spells, the sound of quills against the parchment of their grimoires, flipping of pages to things dropping or falling over. There was always something. It's not until he feels Bonnie's hand on top of his as it rests on her shoulder that he realizes how tense he's become. Looking down to see a grin on her face.

"Relax," Bonnie nearly laughs at the worry etched onto his features "The girls are just putting Caroline's silencing herbs to use before it wears off. They'll be back to drowning out your thoughts in thirty minutes or when Maya kicks Olivia and Michaela out. Whichever comes first."

"You only have them during the summer?"

"My kids think that me being alone for too long isn't good for me. Seth and I would always joke about how we would finally have peace and quiet once the kids moved out." she smiles "When it finally happened, it was nice for about a week. And then we missed the noise. Any reason we could get them to come and visit we would find and extort it. When he passed, my kids made a point of starting vacations again. Whenever there's a scheduling conflict and not everyone can make it, it's called off and I get whoever isn't old enough to stay home alone to keep me company. Or whoever misses me. Isaac said he's coming down in a few days."

Stefan shifts and clears his throat. Making a point of ignoring the growing smile on Bonnie's face until she raises her hand to his face to make him look at her.

"Are you afraid to meet my son?" She questions then laughs when he looks offended.

"I'm not afraid, there's a difference between grandkids and…I wouldn't be happy to come home and find a man that I've never met before staying with my mother. Not even if I did know him." He adds knowing that it wouldn't make a difference to him either way.

"Mhm," Bonnie nods "and if your mom told you to mind your business what would you do?"

"Only when she's around."

"If it helps, Isaac said that he thinks he'd have liked you more than he likes Damon."

Stefan snorts finding that hard to believe. Even he would have a preference for the "fun uncle" over the stiff one he's sure he would have been seen as in comparison to his older brother. "Again, I'm staying in your home."

"Exactly," she nods "my home. Where he pays no bills. Besides, he comes to ask me how I'm doing. Pretending that he's not only here for my cooking and is halfway out of the door as soon as I start to ask him when he's settling down."

Stefan only looks at her in response. From what he was told, Bonnie had six children in total and—with the obvious exception of the first and last—there was no significant age gap between any of them. Unless his memory were failing him, Bonnie's oldest was seventy eight and Isaac was her fifth born. He wants to tell her that if it hasn't happened by now then it probably was time to let the idea of him giving her grandchildren go.

"I told him to only practice when either me, Lucy, Abby or Kol were around." Bonnie explains seeing the question in his eyes "Of course he didn't listen." she shakes her head "So now he's a seventy one year old man forever trapped in a twenty year old's body. But his sisters like to make him look his age when they all come home. Eiza even spells a cane to his hand."

"Your daughters sound...fun."

"You've met their Godmother," Bonnie replies dryly "With the way Caroline, Seth, Richie and Damon were always tearing into each other. The kids never stood a chance at just being nice to each other. They're better now but as soon as they're all in the same room it's like they're kids all over again."

"My brother…" Stefan trails off.

"Got along surprisingly well with them but with their reputations I would have been more surprised if they didn't. I'm pretty sure he and Richie hit up banks every now and then."

"I forget you married a bank robber." He remarks, and closes his eyes when he realized he voiced his thoughts. Though if Bonnie minds, she doesn't show it.

"Abby wasn't too thrilled by it but she was awol when I was growing up. I didn't care too much for her opinion on who I brought home. And me being happy was enough for Care, Matt and Damon. But they also didn't know until I told them his last name. So…" She trails off with a shrug before looking up and sighing when she hears the sound of something hitting the wood paneling on the second floor followed by a high pitched scream.

"Olivia!"

"Oh stop being so dramatic Kayla, it's not like you can't fix it with a wave of your hand!"

"That's not the point!"

"It's a cup filled with juice that you weren't supposed to have in the first place!"

Bonnie turns to Stefan whose smile is growing by the second.

"See?" Bonnie says as she lounges against the swing.

"You're not going to…"

"I'm Grandma, not Mom." she replies simply before closing her eyes "I probably would have poured the cup."

* * *

A/N: Maya and Iris are seventeen. Initially I wanted Olivia and Michaela to be around five or six but whenever I wrote dialogue for the two they didn't exactly come off that way unless they were together so I'm putting them down as ten.


	5. Chapter 5

He wakes up to the sound of thunder resounding in his ears. A bout of panic runs through hm when he hears the sound of a downpour accompanying it and he sighs knowing that he won't be going back to sleep. He used to love storms growing up, getting the worst of colds on a regular basis due to him curling up under his window wrapped in a thin blanket as he watched the water run down the glass. Now it only serves to send him back to the summer he spent in a safe. Cold torrents of water burning his nostrils, choking on the fluid as he thrashed helplessly in his metal coffin.

He starts to get up, search for a book in hopes of a distraction. Maybe a bottle of bourbon to take the edge off but stills when he hears the jiggling of his doorknob paired with a huff. He starts to get up to go and open the door but before he can make a move to do so, the handle glows a deep red and his door is slowly pushed open. He watches with raised eyebrows as a tiny figure walks pass the threshold before closing the door and strolls to the empty side of his bed. Climbing on top of the duvet covering themself with their blanket before addressing him over their shoulder.

"Michaela makes fun of me until I take her voice away. Maya is in the basement with Emily's apparition and throws a fit if she's interrupted. Iris is on the phone with Barry. Storms are the only time Grams really sleeps and I don't want to wake her up." she explains in a low voice "I heard you tossing and turning before you woke up." Olivia pauses "Is it still bothering you?"

He's left stunned, only able to stare at her and she lets out a long breath before sitting up and shifting so she's fully facing him, wrapping her blanket tightly around her frame "Grams told you about my dad, right?" she waits until he nods "Some of his traits were passed down to me. I think it's why my magick isn't as strong as Kayla's—anyone else's really. But whenever someone is anxious or upset it kind of...feeds it. Grams says I'm an empath but Mom says that it's a form of siphoning. I always get a boost whenever there's a storm while Uncle Damon is visiting. It's fueled by his guilt, and since your practically rocket fuel right now I know that it has something to do with you."

He sits up and mirrors her position as much as he can "Does anyone know that you inherited-"

"No," she cuts him off in a hushed tone as she vehemently shakes her head back and forth "Well Daddy does, he caught me when I was going to drink one of his blood bags. So maybe Mom does too, and is just waiting until I say something. I don't crave blood, I've never drank it, I don't want to but I just wanted to see if something would happen. But I do feel my gums itching and my eyes darken when I get upset. And who doesn't contemplate committing felonies against their sibling when they insist on bothering you?"

Stefan looks down to hide the smile that pulls at his lips at the question. But before he can respond his door suddenly swings open and Bonnie rushes in. Worry coming off of the witch in waves. He starts to ask her what's wrong but gets the answer when he sees the relieved look on her face once she spots Olivia on his bed.

"I'm sorry," she breathes and starts to walk further into the room only stopping when Stefan says,

"It's fine, I don't mind the company."

Bonnie stares at him for a moment as if she were waiting for him to backtrack or to take the out she's giving him. Coming up empty, she then looks to the girl who has sidled up to Stefan's side making a point of keeping her eyes on him. Her granddaughter looking away from the vampire when she hears two pairs of footsteps rapidly approaching the room.

Olivia wants to roll her eyes when she sees Maya barrel inside, eyes wide and out of breath but the urge fades when she feels a new set of emotions twist within her own.

"Calm down Aya, I knew that you were busy."

"Busy doing what?" Bonnie questions with a frown as she turns to the girl shifting guiltily on her feet.

"I was talking to Emily. I thought that she would come find me but when she didn't I got worried." She answers before turning to Iris.

"She only comes to me when Maya isn't around so when she practically busted the door down I came to you." Iris defends herself.

"And she was on a late night call with her boyfriend." Maya adds ignoring the daggers she gets in return. If she was going down she wouldn't be going alone.

"Well as you can see I'm fine so you can leave." Olivia attempts to dismiss them "Except you Grams." She quickly adds.

"Put your phones in my room."

"Grams,"

"Shh," Maya quickly places her finger against her sister's lips.

"Grimoires, too." Bonnie adds, giving each a look when they don't move. Ignoring the apologetic look he's sending the girl's way she waits until he turns to meet her eyes "Are you sure?"

"Goodnight, Bon," Stefan smiles at her, watching as she returns it then walks over to Olivia placing a kiss to the top of her head. Holding his stare for a moment before turning to leave.

The moment they're all gone Olivia turns back to him, asks him questions, listening to his answers with interest. Her green eyes lighting up when he speaks of his time spent in Durban. Asking if he saw Bonnie there as she vacationed there once with her Grandfather, Aunties and Uncles. Looking slightly disappointed when he tells her that he didn't.

"I want to go there but I have to wait until I'm old enough so they can't tell me that I can't go." She informs him making him smile. She opens her mouth to ask a question that she forgets as soon as a particularly loud bout of thunder assualts her ears making her flinch. Noting the flash of panic in Stefan's eyes she extends her hands placing them on his ears.

Before he can even ask what she's doing, he hears the sound of the rain fade into the background until he can't hear it at all. He turns to look at the window to see if she's used her magick to influence the weather but spots droplets of water running down the glass.

"You're welcome." Olivia states, afterwards turning her back to him and balling herself under her blanket. Soft snores following shortly after.

She reminds him of Bonnie more than ever at that moment.

* * *

She can't help but frown when she wakes up to see her sister's bed empty. Between the two of them she was always the first to wake up. Then she remembers waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of thunder and covers being thrown back as a pair of feet hit the floor. Trying to fight back the urge to laugh at the fact that her big sister was willing to go toe to toe with a vampire almost three centuries her senior and yet still afraid of thunderstorms. She waited for the moment she would feel Olivia pushing her over so she could climb into her bed. Spend the night fighting over the covers as she usually did. At least until she had enough and kicked Olivia out the moment she felt her sister was in a deep enough sleep to not mind the fall. But it never came, instead she heard the sound of the door opening and closing.

It didn't take long for Michaela to go after her, knowing Olivia would use the opportunity to spend the night in their cousins room as it was the only time they'd allow it. So she'd grabbed her blanket and was out the door, only to stop dead in her tracks when she saw her sister slipping into Stefan's room and she couldn't help the frown on her face. She waited for the door to open again and when it didn't she went and climbed back into her bed. Casting a quick out of body spell she saw in one of her ancestor's grimoires and watched their exchange for a few moments until she was scared right back into her own body when the door flew open.

Yet she didn't expect to be alone by the time morning came. Usually anyone that Olivia had imposed on dumped her back into her own bed fed up with her snoring, tossing and turning. So she starts to head for her Grams' room knowing her cousins wouldn't put up with her sister but stops when she feels a familiar energy coming from Stefan's room. The door wide open and is just about to go inside when she feels another presence.

"I saw her sneak in last night." Is all the explanation Michaela gives before resuming her task and Bonnie can only blink surprised by the reveal. Having thought the young witch had just slept through the storm as she always did. Following her granddaughter's lead, she strolls over to the room Stefan's claimed and nearly laughs at the sight she's greeted to. Stefan sprawled out on the floor with only a plain white t shirt and grey sweatpants being his protection from the cold temperature of the room. Olivia wrapped in the covers occupying the majority of the vampire's bed who clearly doesn't seem to mind her takeover all that much.

"He's not so bad." Michaela comments glancing at Bonnie over her shoulder. An eyebrow raising catching the hint of awe in her grandmother's voice.

"No, he isn't." Bonnie agrees lowly from her place leaning against the doorframe.

* * *

"Grams must be in a really good mood." Olivia says looking up at Stefan the moment they take the first step and several scents infiltrate her senses. Making her mouth water and stomach growl. But the urge to devour everything she can get her hands on stops the moment she steps into the kitchen.

"Copycat," Olivia mutters from Stefan's side the moment they pass the threshold to see Michaela placing a plate filled with bacon, sausage, eggs and hash browns beside a bowl of fruit and three separate plates holding pancakes, waffles and french toast in front of the chair where Stefan usually sits. While everyone else is filling their own plates at the island housing just about any dish associated with breakfast you could name.

"I wasn't sure what you liked so I made everything. Except for grits. I haven't really gotten that down yet and I'm almost sure you don't know what those are."

"Oh my God," Iris mutters as her eyes close. While Maya grins and shakes her head. Both looking to Bonnie who has her teacup stopped just before her lips looking at her granddaughter incredulously.

"What?" Michaela looks around confused before turning back to Stefan.

"But I'm the abrasive one." Olivia says pouring herself a glass of orange juice.

Stefan blinks "You made all of this?"

"Under Grams' watch." Michaela shrugs "Moms not much of a cook but she watches the food network religiously, Dad lets me help him cook and we all cook together for the holidays. The only thing they don't let me do is use a knife or turn on the stove."

Stefan looks to Bonnie who is busy making her own plate before her attention goes to the girl tugging at the skirt of her dress.

"Grams," Olivia whines, scowling at Iris when she decides to add in her two cents,

"We always tell you to help in the kitchen, Liv. You can't be mad at Kayla when she's only doing what you had the same opportunity to learn."

"This is why she likes me better." Maya smiles at her sister.

"Not everything has to be a competition, Maya."

"That's what everyone that usually loses says." Maya retorts pointing her fork at her.

"That's enough," Bonnie says looking at everyone, making it clear that it wasn't only directed at Maya. Green eyes rolling when she feels Stefan's hands on each of her shoulders, chin on the top of her head before going to take a seat at the table. Both the vampire and witch missing the looks exchanged between each of the girls at the brief interaction.


	6. Chapter 6

"If you keep this up they're going to walk all over you." Bonnie cautions before twisting her lips at the position of her newly assembled king sized bed "A little to the left."

"So I can only let one Bennett woman be the boss of me?" Stefan questions after complying with her request.

"Funny," Bonnie slights the vampire with a look "I just don't want you to end up like Seth."

Stefan tenses and looks away at Bonnie's words. For some reason the mention of Seth has been bothering him lately. At first he managed to rationalize it as simply grown bored of hearing about the man Bonnie started a family with. There were only so many times one could hear about another before it got old, which lead Stefan to feeling guilt at his annoyance towards her late husband who hadn't done anything to him. But as of late he's recognized the flex of his fingers whenever Seth is even alluded to. His own telltale sign brought to his attention by both Lexi and Caroline whenever he felt he was…

He lets that particular train of thought trail off. He wasn't ready to face that until he had no other choice. He was happy where he was and he wasn't in any rush to have to let it go. Or have it ripped away from his bare hands as all good things that he allowed himself to hold onto have countless times before.

"Stefan?" Bonnie calls sensing his recluse. Abandoning her task of making her bed in favor of walking over to the former ripper. Her eyes narrowing when he looks up at her, noting the flash of shame in his eyes before he averts his gaze. Before she can question it she hears the reason and wonders if her granddaughter has learned to sense the vampire's distress being as though she always seems to show up whenever he falls out of their state of comfort with the other. Something that she's noticing that lines up whenever she speaks of her late husband. She dismisses the the thought as quickly as it comes and turns to the doorway where Stefan's new best friend stands, a hairbrush in her hand. Bouncing back and forth on her heels.

"Uncle Tyler said he was coming to get me so I could help him land a new client and pick out new employees."

Stefan frowns.

"She's like a little human lie detector." Maya offers as she comes to a stop behind her little cousin "I got it," She assures Bonnie, plucking the hairbrush from her hand and ushering Olivia towards the bathroom.

"Tyler takes her to his club?" Stefan quickly takes the opportunity of a subject change.

"Caroline and I made the mistake of letting him watch the girls alone. Liv warned him about the bartender he hired that was lifting from the top shelf, and helped him land one of his most important clients. Turns out she has good character judgement and as you now know," Bonnie makes a point of looking at Stefan who chuckles in response "she's good at getting people where she wants them. She's been his secret weapon ever since and makes more than most adults do in a year."

"He pays her."

"She set her terms, and he didn't disagree. He never does." She adds under her breath.

"Grams,"

"Let me guess," Bonnie turns towards the doorway "your Auntie is picking you up to help her plan for the party?"

Michaela nods then looks at Stefan mouthing an apology as soon as Bonnie's turned her back to the both of them. Rolling her eyes through a smile when he looks confused.

* * *

She's completing the last of her paperwork when she hears a knock on her door.

"Come in," She calls out expecting to see one of her partners to tease or talk her down from taking her latest case but is greeted to a blue eyed vampire instead. On reflex alone, her eyes close and her head falls against the steeple her hands made upon spotting the bag in his hand.

"Uncle Damon, please don't..." Eiza Bennett pleads through a deep sigh.

"Don't what?" Damon frowns at his niece's words, letting his bag drop to the floor as he goes to pour himself a drink at her decanter.

"Do that thing where you don't think before you act." Eiza answers sounding every bit of her mother.

"Boring," he drawls, dramatically turning to face the youngest of Bonnie's children, making a point of ignoring the "Why are you like this?" look that perfectly mirrors Bonnie's that he still gets from the eldest living Bennett to this day. "I thought I was hanging out with the fun one."

"How about you pretend that you already did what you want to do now." Eiza begins, ignoring his words "That you're at some bar drunk and rambling to the bartender about what you did and how you wish you didn't. Telling this poor soul what you should have done and said instead of whatever you're thinking of doing right now." she pauses "And now that you've done _that_ , you're about to go to Mom's to see your brother so you can apologize and try to be one to him."

"You're smart," he compliments her after a long stretch of silence, choosing to ignore her dig "I like you. We must be related."

Eiza chuckles and shakes her head "Hence me calling you Uncle. But please don't tell Mom I told you."

"Still scared of the belt?" Damon teases.

"Lets not pretend that you're not afraid of Mom just as much as the rest of us. I bet you can still feel that beating she put on you and Uncle Richie from when you let Isaac drink with the two of you." Eiza retorts, smiling when her uncle makes a face at her.

* * *

"You said Isaac was biologically twenty, right?" Stefan questions handing Bonnie a glass of lemonade as he joins her on the porch swing. Soon after the twins left with Caroline and Tyler, Maya and Iris had decided to make use of the den and Bonnie and himself had decided to enjoy what quiet they could before their return.

Bonnie nods "They all snuck out to go to this club when we vacationed to Amsterdam. The girls all got to twenty one, he got twenty but he looked the part. Unlike his sisters who had the spell down packed since they were sixteen—courtesy of Sheila who created it in the first place for her and her friends—they returned to their actual age by the time they woke up. He didn't. But Janelle took pity on him and did glamour spells until he graduated high school."

"So you didn't find out until he graduated?"

"I found out the next day, made him wear a charm that kept him from practicing unless he was in danger. I wanted to take them away until he actually turned twenty but I know how I felt when I had my magick taken from me and I couldn't do that to him. So I went for the second best. He could still feel his magick, join in on lessons but other than that." She shakes her head.

"And everyone was okay with that?"

"Seth didn't like it. Isaac hated it of course. Grams, Abby and Lucy didn't agree, suggested that I just destroy the spell—which I did. But I'm his mother, which meant I had final say and I'm sure Luce let him slide whenever I wasn't around."

"Actually cousin Lucy is the one that created the spell that made me look my real age." A voice steps in correcting Bonnie making her sit up and look in their direction. A smile breaking across the witch's face when she sees her son stepping outside onto the deck. "She just didn't like it when she thought that I couldn't practice at all." He finishes, immediately wrapping his arms around Bonnie's frame when she launches herself into him "Hi Mom, I missed you too." He says into her hair with a smile until his hazel eyes land on Stefan who looks uncomfortable under his stare.

"Stop trying to intimidate him." Comes Bonnie's muffled voice making Isaac sigh and look away from Stefan.

"How long has he been here?" Isaac questions noting how relaxed Stefan had seemed to be before he announced his presence.

Bonnie leans back making Isaac look at her. His demeanor changing once he sees the look on her face that sends him back to his teen years. And he decides to do in his best interest and heed to her unspoken warning.

"His name is Stefan," Bonnie's eyes narrow slightly as she takes in the new way he's taken to style his hair and the new scent clinging to his skin "Who's the girl? Or have you finally ran out of your stash of axe body wash and taken a liking to Bath&Body all on your own?" She adds with a look when his lips part to deny there being one in the first place.

"Jajaira," Isaac answers.

"Jajaira," Bonnie parrots "Hm,"

"Please don't do that."

"Do what? Judge her before I know her?"

"That is completely different." Isaac glances at Stefan who looks as if he wants to be anywhere but here.

"Stranger that you have actually heard of and I'm just friends with. Stranger I've never once heard of or was even alluded to that is obviously not just a friend." Bonnie compares "Yeah, that is completely different." She agrees.

"Mom," He scowls.

"Ugh, you look just like him."

"Well he is my dad. So that might have something to do with it." Isaac remarks through a grin, moving away before she attempts a swing, that surprisingly never comes only narrowed eyes and a warning tone.

"Boy,"

"Does my Uncle know you're here?" Isaac directs his question to Stefan, surprised when his mother doesn't step in. Curious of the lack of response he shifts his gold flecked eyes to Bonnie and sees that she has a pinched look on her face but still doesn't say anything.

"Stefan?" Isaac calls when the vampire only stares back at him "Uncle Richie says it helps if you just look at my eyes. Dad could never pull them off. And I should be happy that God took pity on me and gave me something from my mother."

Bonnie chuckles at that, knowing that that is exactly something that Richie would say.

"Uh," Stefan starts, shifting in his seat when the warlock sets his gaze on him once again "Not that I know of. But knowing Damon, he's probably already here. Preparing to make as much of a dramatic entrance as he possibly can. Which I definitely just set back for at least another week or so." He adds briefly glancing around the yard.

Both Bonnie and Isaac smile and nod showing how they both actually know his brother.

"Maybe," Isaac acknowledges Stefan's point "but he really misses you so his impatience might overcloud his flare for dramatics just this once in fear of you taking off again."

"Isaac," Bonnie says lowly but doesn't hide her disappointment.

"I didn't tell him but he was doing that creepy check in thing when I was on the phone with Eiza and she mentioned an old friend staying with you. You talk to everyone except for two. And one is basically Uncle Damon except she doesn't talk to us. So it really only left Stefan."

Stefan frowns at that. He starts to ask if Isaac was speaking of his ex but Bonnie doesn't give him the chance and it's the last thing on his mind.

"So it's my fault." Bonnie sighs.

"Hey," Stefan says making both Bennetts look at him but he only focuses on Bonnie, shaking his head at her.

Isaac raises his eyebrow at the interaction but decides not to comment. Not like he really gets the chance as he hears a voice filled with glee and turns just in time to catch the girl launching herself into his arms.

"You're getting a little old for this, Ris. One of these days you're going to break my back." Isaac comments but still squeezes her rocking them back and forth.

"Am I still your favorite?"

"I don't know, from what I hear Maya has better taste in men."

Iris blinks "Maya doesn't…"

"Exactly," Isaac stresses, taking note of the grin he spots on Stefan's face seeming to agree with his stance.

Iris rolls her eyes but still clings to him.

"I missed you,"

"Wrong Uncle," He snorts pulling away to look at her.

* * *

"What about this one?" Michaela holds up the hologram of the third layout she's made for the twenties theme party. Watching as her sister assess her work before rising from her seat with a stack of papers in her hand and deposits them on her desk. Olivia's hand going to the stage to move it from the left side of the room to the center. Making a motion with her hand to make it rotate.

"Taking center of attention a little too literally there, Liv." Michaela comments.

Olivia rolls her eyes "If you read this girl's file you'd understand. She hates the color red. How do you hate red but want a twenties theme party? Didn't the women practically dye their lips that color?"

Michaela snorts "Explains the reason Auntie Caroline doesn't have it stored in the database. But maybe we should ask Uncle Kol to make sure."

"Klaus daggered him. We could try Aunt Bex."

"What?" Olivia frowns when her sister smiles and returns her attention to the hologram, adding a wall to wall bar.

"I'm surprised you're not suggesting your new best friend."

"And I thought I was the clingy one." Olivia smirks.

"I'm not clingy!"

"It's perfectly normal to want my undivided attention." Olivia says with a lift of her shoulders, and begins to spread out the papers she brought with her "I'd be concerned about your mental state and question your taste if you didn't."

"So is that why you're constantly stealing my clothes?" Michaela deadpans before dropping her eyes to what her sister is doing.

"We're identical twins, there's no such thing as "my clothes"."

"Fair enough, and I'll admit that it was nice of you to try with him. One of us had too."

"That's not why," Olivia raises her eyes to meet her twins' "He's kind of tragic. It's sad... _he's_ sad. He doesn't have a family. He doesn't have friends. Well at least he didn't before he came back."

"So he's your charity case?" Michaela frowns "He's not innocent in that. Stefan left them, remember?"

"He's not my charity case. He just...understands what it's like. He's easy to talk to. I don't like what he did but I get it. If I met any of them while they were who they were in Mystic Falls I would have not given them any of my time. Especially Uncle Damon. Can you really blame him for leaving? And him leaving gave Grams the strength to do the same. In a weird way he's the reason we're here."

Michaela frowns, her sister's words not sitting well with her at first but then sits up "How long until we have to call him Grandpa?"

Olivia laughs "He's way too nice to make us do that. Also painfully clueless for it to even be funny to ask."

"Grams isn't much better."

"Because she hasn't noticed that the collar on his neck has B.B. instead of E.G. yet." Olivia giggles hoisting herself on top of her sister's desk.

"That and Auntie Caroline."

"She'll get over it when she gets a new Godchild to show off like a new purse."

"Gross," Michaela scrunches her nose.

"Oh grow up," Olivia rolls her eyes.

…

"I miss the days when they believed in Storks." Kol Mikaelson murmers catching the last end of the conversation between his nieces, looking up when Caroline bursts out into laughter at his comment.

"If things had gone your way Bonnie's line would have ended with the girls." Caroline muses remembering how protective he had come of Bonnie and her children after her friend had agreed to resurrect him.

"Untrue," he disagrees "That's what Isaac was for."

"And now he's the only one that doesn't have kids."

"That we know of." Kol points out resulting in Caroline smacking him the back of his head as she leaves the room.

She knocks twice on the door of the twin's shared office, waits for their answer before strolling inside. A pleased smile gracing her features, eyes bright as they take in their work. "Tyler," She calls out once her eyes spot the pictures of various women right beside Michaela's decor proposal.

"Yes?" Tyler answers strolling into the room.

"Why does my-"

"Our," Tyler corrects glancing at the two watching on in amusement.

"Why does Livy have those?"

Tyler glances at Olivia's picks and nods approvingly.

"They're for the party. Veronica wants burlesque dancers and bottle girls. The only man she wants hired is the bartender and Kol to act as her personal servant for the night."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"I'd be more worried if you were." Michaela murmurs then presses her lips together once she realizes she voiced her thoughts.

"You can use James for the bartender. Since she seems to have a type. He can pass for Uncle Kol in the right lighting. This one," Olivia picks up a picture of a woman with long black wavy hair and soft features that counter her striking grey eyes "should be lead but from your notes she might accidentally upstage the birthday girl. So dress her in something that Grams would have worn before she realized she could be a model."

Michaela snorts then begins to explain her blueprint "I made notes in the designs," she reaches for one of metal buckets a woman is holding on her layout to make her point. Causing a bubble to pop up reading "sparklers". "Because of the wall to wall bar I suggest getting at least three tenders. Two women, one man. Men will order more drinks, women get more drinks. I came up with some ideas for the bottle girls and then for the birthday girl," she taps the woman standing on the rotating stage "A one shoulder silver dress with a thigh high slit. Gold trimmings. For the bottle girls black dresses, feather headbands, boas optional."

"Will it go against child labor laws to hire them full time?"

"Bon said it can be up for discussion with Mel when they turn sixteen." Tyler replies looking through the notes Michaela took during her interviews "Cute kid?" He asks with a frown.

"She needs a sitter," Olivia taps the picture of the woman and watches as a picture of a seven month old baby girl appears "Mom is pregnant. So I was thinking Kayla and I should get used to the crying and-"

"Mel is pregnant?" Caroline raises an eyebrow.

"Daddy and I are waiting for how she's going to break the news to us."

"How?" Michaela frowns.

"How did Mom get pregnant or how did I find out?"

"You've been spending too much time with Uncle Damon."

"And you've been spending too much time with Iris." Olivia counters casually shifting her gaze to Tyler "I know you've never been Stefan's biggest fan but I'm on the verge of losing a cloaked page of my Grimoire to the princess over here."

"Says the one that wears a crown on our birthday." Michaela comments under her breath.

"So will you agree to hang out with your _favorite_ great granddaughter and her copy while Maya and Iris give them the slip in about...three days from now?"

Tyler frowns and folds his arms over his chest "Why?"

"Grams is smiling. And it has nothing to do with us. Its like that picture of you and Grams watching Auntie Caroline dance."

"Liv," Tyler closes his eyes.

Caroline scowls "You told me that was at Elena falling down the stairs."

"To be fair, it was both." The hybrid attempts to defend himself.

* * *

"How's Em?" Bonnie asks the moment Maya steps into the kitchen, a smile on her face.

"She's good, she just got back from her volunteer trip." Maya answers, frowning when Bonnie's eyes lower and returns her attention to pouring what appears to be brownie batter into a pan "I'm still staying," She quickly adds once the reason behind the sudden change in her grandmother's mood registers. Offering Bonnie a smile when she raises her eyes to meet her own once again.

"I'm not going to guilt you into staying. If you want to go spend the summer with-"

"I'm staying," Maya interrupts her "I need to get to know Gramps better before-"

"Maya,"

"It's not like he doesn't respond to it."

"What?" Bonnie shrieks.

"I'm kidding, he'd probably faint from excitement before he could."

Bonnie slights her granddaughter with a look to which Maya grins before her features soften as she says,

"At least you're not denying it anymore."

"Denying what?" A voice inquires making both Bonnie and Maya look up to see Isaac strolling into the room.

"That Aunt Nyssa is her favorite child." Maya replies easily, making Bonnie wonder just how many times her grandchild has managed to pull one over on her.

"Now I know you're lying." Isaac snorts "Nyssa rarely comes home, she doesn't call and she doesn't even have a job."

Bonnie laughs "Nyssa calls me everyday. I don't agree with her line of work but she's grown and it is a job that pays well. Well enough that she put herself through school and bought her own car in full."

Isaac scoffs "Well if I had my magick, I could have…" He trails off.

"Good choice," Bonnie nods approvingly when he stops his defense short.

"And what exactly is it that you do, Uncle?"

"I mind my own business for one."

"By Uncle Damon's standards, sure." Maya agrees with a lift of her shoulders.

…

Iris watches from her place in the doorway as Stefan stares at the book in his hands with a smile on his face. If it weren't for the fact that he'd been staring at the same page for the last three minutes she would have written it off to whatever it was that he was reading. But after using her magick to enhance her hearing and picking up the conversation between her sister and grandmother before her uncle joined in...

It takes everything in her to not laugh.

"Good book?" She asks, raising her hand to her mouth to keep herself from laughing when he nearly jumps out of his seat. The book slipping from his grasp momentarily.

"Yes," Stefan answers after a moment, tensing when Iris walks further into the room and tilts her head so she can see the title.

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower," she reads the words on the spine "Interesting choice." Iris remarks, brown eyes filled with amusement at his growing embarrassment "Is this the part where he eats the brownie?" She questions, taking pity on him.

"The cafeteria part," Stefan says instead, watching as surprise takes over her features "There was this guy...Winston. We didn't get along. Damon never grasped the concept of a closed door so he saw a bruise and...Winston suddenly stopped coming around."

Iris blinks then goes to take a seat in the armchair across from Stefan "You miss him, don't you?"

Stefan shrugs non committedly "I shouldn't,"

"He came to check in on Grams last summer and there was this huge thunderstorm. I love when it happens, it's one of the reasons I come down here because we don't get them back home. So I grab a blanket, make this herbal drink that heightens my senses, go into the dome and just watch. But when I passed his room I heard him mumbling and tossing and turning. So I was going to cast a soothe spell. But then he starts talking. Saying your name repeatedly and apologizing and then he starts screaming. It broke my concentration and I accidentally went inside his head. It was this argument between him and Elena. He's yelling at her about catching her leaving your room. She's screaming that someone needed to check on you. It was the least she could do after everything she put you through. Grams made some salve that was going to help you. But you weren't there. Then he wakes up and we're just...staring at each other. I apologize and explain what I was going to do and he tells me no. It's his punishment. He told me about…" she trails off and waves her hand "He blames himself. Hates that he wasn't the one that saved you. You leaving him and him respecting your decision instead of hunting you was the least he could do. He sees Elena leaving as his punishment for all that he did to you so he let her go too."

He waits for guilt to hit him as it always does. Finding out about the pain he's apparently put his brother through should make him feel as if he should drive a stake through his own heart for the trouble he's caused. At least it would have a century ago. But the feeling—nor anything remotely close to it—doesn't come. He wouldn't say that he's happy but after his brother promising an eternity of misery and finding out that Damon was the Salvatore brother that was miserable at the other's absence was bittersweet. But as Iris goes on he finds himself back at square one.

"It's why Michaela was so cold to you. She doesn't know as much as we do. All she knows is that you left and it hurt people. Uncle Damon and Auntie Caroline never talk down about you. But...you hurt them and as much as we tried to hold a grudge on their behalf we couldn't. Liv liking you as much as she does just made it harder. And as much as Kayla loves Uncle Damon, if Liv is okay with something it doesn't take much for her to go with it. Except for Grandma Abby. Kayla got a read on her and ever since she's been standoffish. Never disrespectful but it's clear that she's not her biggest fan."

"How is she?"

"As happy as she's allowing herself to be. She's made peace with what's happened to her and with what she is now." Iris makes a point of looking at him and he averts his gaze before raising his eyes once she speaks again "You and Uncle Damon," she pauses "That's none of my business. But Grams is."


	7. Chapter 7

She pulls her car to a stop and cuts the engine. Glancing in her rearview mirror to see both Olivia and Michaela slumped against the doors. She turns to look at them for a moment, marveling at how their presence indicates just how much time has passed. How much has changed over her lifetime. It was hard to believe that she had over a century under her belt and as long as the Bennett line and Mikaelsons had anything to say, she would have as many more to come as she wished. But with the reminder of being under the Bennett line's protection came the realization that there would come a time that she wouldn't be able to see them when she wanted. She had quite literally watched each and every Bennett that came after Bonnie grow up, changed their diapers. Been there for every milestone, including drying the tears of the dreaded first heartbreaks. If she had a hard time at the mere thought of the time coming where she would be putting flowers on their grave, she didn't want to even think about how hard Bonnie would take it.

Caroline had already lost her parents, her father choosing to not transition when faced with the option of vampirism and her mother choosing the same. Unlike the former, opting to grow old. Each citing that parents shouldn't face the possibility of outliving their children. It was a selfish thought. Especially in comparison to her friends—as unlike their own—her parents died on their own terms. Though it didn't stop Caroline from often wishing that they would have seen that turning would have made it so neither would happen. But immortality wasn't for everyone. Especially if you were raised with the view her parents had been taught to look on vampires. And if faced with the chance...having an actual say in the matter, would she have chosen to do as they had?

Sure, when the cure had been proposed, she had the choice. She had gone as far as to balk at the idea of giving immortality up but by that time she had already grown to like it. In spite of her human traits promising to be her downfall as she—and probably everyone else if they were to be honest—thought vampirism had surprisingly worked out for her. Instead of her insecurities increasing until they swallowed her whole, she had become confident in who she was. She became compassionate, kind, fearless and as she quickly learned, she was stronger than she had ever thought was even possible. Instead of becoming the worst version of herself as she expected, she became the best. Though she had learned the one downside to what she loved as she watched her mother grow old and eventually watching through tear stained vision as the former Sheriff was being lowered into the ground. And now she had to face that for the rest of her life. Only a few being the exception so far. But that didn't make it much better.

The sound of footsteps rips her out of her depressing thoughts and she turns expecting to see Bonnie approaching and quickly tries to erase all traces of her brief inner turmoil. Knowing that the witch would sense it and force it out of her. It would bring her friend's mood down and that was the last thing she wanted. Only to roll her eyes when she sees Stefan nearing her before he suddenly stops mid step the second he meets her gaze. Taking several steps backwards and she closes her eyes, letting out a long breath.

Seth had always told her how he would purposely avoid her when she went into "a mood". Richie comparing it to Kisa's rage on crack. After seeing the culebra's wrath first hand—and over finding out that Damon had dodged a bullet in turn causing Richie to take it instead, nonetheless. Caroline had made a point of trying to tamper it before she let herself get to that point. Before the two brothers had pointed it out she simply thought she was only vicious in a fight but apparently her friends had only let her live happily in her delusion. Because when the Geckos had voiced their observation, no one made any claims to the contrary. Well with the exception of Rebekah but Caroline hadn't cared much, at the time chalking it up to the blonde original simply being a bitch.

She opens her door and climbs out of her vehicle going to the door behind her and looks to Stefan expectantly, watching the vampire as he swallows then goes to the opposite side. Raising an eyebrow at how Michaela immediately clings to him once he takes her in his arms, and Caroline notes how just as she has, he looked down at the young witch as if trying to determine if she wasn't who he had thought she was at first glance. Twisting her lips at how quickly he's managed to learn to tell the two apart and immediately averts her eyes elsewhere when he begins to look her way. Closing the door with her hip after Olivia maneuvers herself to her liking.

"Sugar crash?" Stefan asks, the smell of jolly ranchers assaulting his sense of smell at one particular exhale from the witch sound asleep.

"Liv asked Tyler for ice cream while Michaela talked Kol into slipping them candy." Caroline answers absentmindedly.

"Kol?"

Caroline turns to face Stefan noting the genuine confusion on his features "Their father, Lucas is the grandson of Hope. You know, Klaus' daughter? Kol is literally their uncle. Great or whatever but they're Mikaelsons."

Stefan blinks "Are they…"

"I think Michaela might have a little wolf in her, she gets a little vicious under the full moon. Olivia…" Caroline stops herself "Bonnie didn't tell you?"

"Liv mentioned Klaus but I didn't really think much of it since she just called him Klaus."

Caroline lets out a soft laugh "He's not very fond of being a grandfather. The only reason Xavier is still alive is because he's a Bennett. He knew better than to go up against me and Bon. Not to mention the hell Hope would have raised."

Stefan doesn't have a response to that. He never thought the day would come that the Mikaelsons would have not only stopped being seen as the enemy. But as family. Sure, neither Bonnie nor Klaus exactly had a choice due to their lines mixing but from what Bonnie has told him, Klaus and Bonnie didn't exactly hate each other. In his absence she and Rebekah had even become close. His ex even being a bridesmaid in Bonnie's wedding and vice versa. Both of which happened before Hope and Xavier even happened.

Seeing the confliction on Stefan's face she wonders if she might have dumped too much on him and broke him. Then stiffens at how he managed to slip through the walls she had built and all previous concern flees. And he seems to sense as such.

Stefan sighs "I was only trying to-"

"No," she snaps in a low tone, mindful to not wake the girls but still manages to have the same effect going from the way his face falls "That's the thing Stefan. You're not even trying. You're just being you. Acting like you never even left."

If there were anyone watching Caroline figures that they would look at Stefan and herself and think them to be estranged exes. Only seeing each other to trade off the kids they had during their time together. So she sets it in her mind to back off but his response puts an end to that and she feels a whole new wave of anger hit her.

"What do you want me to say Caroline? Do you want me to apologize? Say how sorry I am for leaving and that I shouldn't have done it? Look at where we are. Mystic Falls is a thing of the past. Everyone is alive. Everyone is happy. You have a life. You have a family. Damon has actually changed. The Mikaelsons aren't anything that you have to worry about. No one's life is in danger. No one is running or looking over their shoulder. And that all happened when I wasn't here. If anything you should be upset that I came back."

"I'm upset at _how_ you left. People just disappearing in our group isn't something that we can just take lightly. After Bonnie…" she trails off knowing she'll go on a full blown tirade on her best friend's little stunt "If it weren't for Bon, I wouldn't even know if you were alive or not. I would have been fine with the occasional postcard." she says through a breathless laugh that lacks humor "Yes I am happy but what I am not happy with is my best friend being okay with pretending as if I didn't exist. And coming back after a hundred years expecting me to be grateful about him leaving because it proved that I'm better off without him." And with that, she turns and walks away leaving him standing there to watch after her, letting herself into Bonnie's home.

"Just give her time, she'll get over it." Michaela mumbles and breathes out a laugh at the stunned look Stefan gives her.

* * *

He sighs when it becomes clear that he isn't going to sleep. His interaction with Caroline on a continuous loop. Michaela's insurance doing very little to quell his doubts and ease the latest edition of guilt Caroline has added to his never ending and ever growing list. And need for atonement. The more he replays their encounter the more he finds that a part of him had hoped for her denial in his reasoning for leaving. Maybe even grant his unspoken plea for her forgiveness but instead he got acknowledgement of how his absence had changed things for the better and her forcing him to see that she had understood but it didn't negate how he had gone about it. He knew he deserved neither but he still hoped. He of all people knew what it felt like to feel as if someone he cared about did not care about his feelings and most of all how someone close to him couldn't give less of a damn how their actions affected him.

A century had passed and his resentment for his brother's and ex girlfriend's betrayal practically paid rent in his mind. And bought residence in his heart in full.

With a frustrated groan he rolls over and climbs out of his bed, heading for the glass sliding door leading out to the balcony. Maybe fresh air would do some good. Only to stop when he sees Bonnie lying on the winged chaise lounge chair. He stares at her for a moment taking in how peaceful she looks then turns to go back inside, not wanting to put a stop to it. He's already imposing—despite her constant insistence to the contrary—and he feels as if this might push her over the edge.

"Can't sleep?" She calls after him, effectively stopping him dead in his tracks and he turns to see her staring right at him. Almost as if she were daring him to lie to her.

"It's too loud." He makes a motion around his head.

Bonnie nods and extends her hand towards him and his body moves with a mind of its own, readily accepting her invite. Allowing her to pull him down and settles into the space she's made for him. Letting his eyes close when she shifts until her head is lying on his chest which is just now becoming aware is practically bare. The white ribbed tank doing little to act as a barrier between their skin, though she doesn't seem to mind. A sigh escaping him when she strokes the back of his hand with her thumb as their hands rest intertwined on his stomach.

"She's never going to forgive me." He finally voices his thoughts and receives no response. Bonnie seeming to understand that he only needs an ear and not convincing or hearing of the opposite. "I don't think Damon will either. We never do. At least not really. We fight and then we wait for who threw the first punch to speak. Then just move on, pretend like nothing happened. And when something new happens we throw the past in each other's faces. But he's always the one that leaves and I'm the one that waits for him to come back."

In his mind he acknowledges how technically speaking it's not exactly true. He ran when Damon tried and failed to help him with his addiction. He can still play the memory as if were happening right this moment if he gave too much thought to it. The second—and this one on pure technicality—could be counted as kidnapping. Sure he was not a child in terms of his true age but his abductor essentially made him a baby in comparison. So it really wasn't that much of a stretch. But this time was different. He and Damon were by no means in a good place with each other but they weren't in their worst either. As much as he would rationalize it as living up to his end of their deal regarding Elena, he really did it for him. Cutting everyone else off was just so he wouldn't come running back.

Yes he still had a problem with water credited to his time spent drowning repeatedly but Katherine wasn't entirely wrong when she pointed out that that wasn't the heart of his problem. It wasn't so much the drowning but that he'd rather relive his summer spent in the safe than to see Elena happy with his brother. The doe eyed brunette not as affected by their breakup as he was without influence of the sire bond and unlike him had no problem with putting their relationship in the past. More than content to pretend as if it never happened at all. Or that it was in a completely different lifetime. Though in her defense it was. He had her when she was human and that was where their story had come to a close. To this day he could not name one person that had stayed with someone from their days as a human to their days as a vampire to the end.

There was Lee but unfortunately the vampire hadn't been able to see his relationship with Lexi through due to her death.

"It's your life, Stefan." Bonnie puts both an end to the silence between them, and to the opposing thoughts residing in his subconscious regarding his current standings in his relationship with Caroline and Damon. "If you left because it was something that you needed to do for yourself then that is your right. You're not obligated to say goodbye to anyone. You don't have to explain yourself. And the only person you owe anything to is you. But for what it's worth," she pauses and notes how he seems to be holding his breath "I'm glad you came back."

"You shouldn't be," he says "The last time I came back I ruined your life."

"If I thought that, do you really think I would allow you anywhere near my family? And knowing the girls, do you think they would even look your way?"

"No," He answers through a chuckle knowing she had him there.

"I missed you." She says and laughs as if the mere thought of it was ridiculous and he tries to not take it personally. But fails miserably at the latter of her response. "It's weird because it's not like we were friends or anything but you not being around was weird."

"We weren't?"

"No," Bonnie answers bluntly "It felt like we were getting there but you kind of dumped me for Caroline, and then I became Damon's partner in crime. Everyone always said Elena switched overnight but in a weird way so did you and Damon. He used Caroline to get to Elena, you used me."

"I didn't use you," he denies "I wanted us to be friends, or at least get along."

"For Elena's sake. The only time you tried with me was at that dinner. After that we only spoke when it had something to do with her. But I understood. It would have given the wrong message if you tried being close with your girlfriend's best friend without it having anything to do with her."

"You don't think that's what I'm doing now," he tries to hide the hurt in his voice at the thought "is it?"

"No," she answers after a moment of giving it some thought "Now I think you're using me to keep your new best friend." She smiles and cranes her head to look up at him watching as he laughs in response. And tries to keep her breath steady at the sound. She hadn't realized it until now but she couldn't remember if she had even ever heard him laugh back when they first knew each other. Had only heard it here and there since he came back and now she's increasingly finding it to not be the worst thing and if she gives it too much thought she thinks that she could get used to it. Enough to hate it when it was gone. The day that he decided that it was time for him to move on was suddenly becoming something that she hated.

She should get up and leave, go back to the safety and comfort of her room. The distance between them would be a step in the right direction and mentally prepare her for when that day inevitably came. But her body isn't quite getting the message as she's still staring at him and only looks away when he begins to look down at her. Body still intent on working against her brain, she finds herself resting her head against his shoulder unintentionally breathing him in. Almost as if she were trying to commit it to memory. Maybe give herself something to hold onto when he left.

Yeah, this was bad.

Eventually his laughter at her comment subsides and he begins to look down at her, the feeling of her eyes trained on him hard to ignore. But before he can she looks away and he wonders why. Though he can't find complaint in the move that follows.

There was nothing special about it. Just her head on his shoulder. Nothing new or different. Nothing that they hadn't done before. Certainly nothing he hadn't done at all and yet unlike the others that came before it gained a different reaction. One that he was sure that if she felt or noticed would receive a reaction that would be drastically different from all of the others. No one on their backs but him out on the streets with nowhere to go.

Being with Bonnie came easy and he often found himself seeking her out whenever she wasn't in his line of sight. His hearing always picked up the sound of her voice, the sound of her footsteps or her heartbeat if he couldn't pick up either of the former two from wherever she was in the house and he was off. Conversation came easy and even if there weren't any words exchanged it was calming. He didn't even complain, question or fight when she did things that took him out of his comfort zone. What she saw as him being a pushover when it came to him letting the girls do the same he was only doing to make her smile. Make them happy even if it ended in them teasing. Bonnie was making him remember what feeling things was like.

Yeah, he was in trouble and she does nothing to quell the feeling when she breaks the silence that had once again fallen between them.

"Isaac is taking over the girl's lessons, so I'm taking a personal day." she pauses and he disregards the brief change in her heartbeat as a brief lapse in his sanity and a sudden hike in his imagination in between her words "You can come with me if you want."

He accepts her invite without even the slightest bit of hesitation. Then grimaces at how eager he must have come out but the smile he receives in response eases his embarrassment.

Come to think of it, trouble seemed to put it too lightly, he was screwed.


End file.
